What if Jace had died- short story
by collaborate.fmc
Summary: This is a story about if Jace had died. It's no particular battle described in Cassandra Clare's books- I just made up the battle- but it is set during the time of Sebastian and the Dark Shadowhunters.


The battle was raging around Alec, the fire of it singing in his veins. His shortsword glowed in his hand, lighting up the bloody snow around him. Blood was soaked to his gear as well, lying heavily against his skin.

"Nephilim." The sneer hissed from behind Alec- he whirled around, all of the hairs on his neck standing up, to see a Dark Shadowhunter behind him. The red gear, decorated with sickeningly unfamiliar runes, made Alec's stomach twist with nausea. This person, with his tall, lanky figure and balding hair, had once been a Shadowhunter.

And then. And then, Sebastian had come and destroyed what made these people human, leaving demons behind.

Rage burst behind Alec's eyes, and he jumped forwards, slashing out with his sword- but the Dark Shadowhunter moved quickly, quicker than anything that Alec had seen before, and backhanded him across the face. Agony exploded in Alec's face- he tasted a burst of salty blood in his mouth, dizzying, and drew back his fist, swinging it back. His knuckles only grazed the Dark Shadowhunter's shoulder, and the Dark Shadowhunter grabbed his wrist and yanked.

Alec heard his wrist crack and himself scream, his vision fuzzing red- he half-collapsed, the only words in his mind _stay on your feet stay on your feet stay on your feet._ The world was turning blue and black and spinning as the Dark Shadowhunter twisted his wrist until the agony was unbearable- Alec yelled and kicked up, pushing off of the bloody ground. Surprise glistened in the Dark Shadowhunter's eyes, just as he was thrown off, skidding to the ground but scrambling up quickly- and Alec lunged forwards, knee coming up to the man's chest to bring him down, just as he felt himself falling, like a cord had been severed- falling into darkness, agony bursting in his brain, splintering white-hot.

Alec collapsed to the ground. _Jace,_ he thought. _Jace-_

He reached up with shaking fingers to touch his parabati rune.

It burned his fingertips at the touch, and Alec knew. He raised his head and plunged the shortsword through the Dark Shadowhunter's heart.

He dropped like a stone, and Alec started to sprint, crashing through the chaos. "Isabelle!" He yelled- the agony and terror were darkening his mind. His boots slipped against the snowy ground and he half-fell, scrambling back to his feet, staggering. "ISABELLE!"  
"Alec!" And Isabelle was there, white-faced, her dark hair bloody, her gear soaked, seraph blade glistening in hand. She grabbed his wrists and he flinched, but it was a minor pain compared to the completeness of what was happening. "What happened? What's wrong?" She gasped. "Oh my God, your wrist-"

"No." Alec managed to choke the word out- he needed to lean against Isabelle. "It's Jace. It's our brother."

" _Michael._ " Clary whispered the name, and her seraph blade flared up in a heavenly glow. The Dark Shadowhunter in front of her hissed.

"Nephilim," he spat. "You think that you are following the better, heavenly side. But you are wrong. Heaven has plunged into hell, and that is where the power is. If you had any ounce of knowledge, you would follow us."

Clary narrowed her eyes at him. "Heaven can rule over darkness," she responded. "It will always be."

He snarled, lips pulling back into an almost feral, wicked grin, and Clary drew her right fist back and punched him in the jaw.

He yelled, staggering back, and Clary lunged at him, taking her advantage, and brought her knee up into his chest- they went crashing to the ground. The man snarled up at her underneath her and punched her. Clary whipped her head to the side, and the man's fist caught her shoulder, astoundingly strong- Clary saw stars burst in front of her eyes.

She clenched her jaw to keep from yelping in pain and plunged the seraph blade into his shoulder. He screamed in pain and Clary jumped off of him, sprinting through the battle, just as someone caught her shoulder.

She whirled around, blade up, to see Isabelle and Alec, both bloody, their faces pale. "We need to get back to the Portal," Isabelle yelled over the roar of the battle.

Panic seized Clary, shaking her shoulders. "What? What is it?"

"Jace-" Isabelle's words were cut off- she slashed her electrum whip through a Dark Shadowhunter's arm, kicking him sharply in the chest.

 _Jace._ The word reverberated through Clary's mind. The roar of battle went away and the only noise was the beating of her own blood, deafening in her ears.

"Clary! We _need to get to the Portal_!" Isabelle shouted, and Clary was running, sprinting, jumping over the fallen bodies of people in dark and red gear alike, her heart pounding, throbbing in her throat. _Jace. Something was wrong with Jace._ Jace who never got hurt, nothing could be wrong…

A Dark Shadowhunter was there, and he was grinning down at her, and Clary kicked him with as much force as she could- he doubled back and she punched him squarely in the face, rage buzzing in her ears, and plunged her seraph blade into his neck, and he dropped- and she was still sprinting, the Portal was getting closer, with Isabelle and Alec shouting behind her, and she was falling inside, the world spinning around her and closing into blackness.

Hard marble flooring surged up at Clary, and she smashed directly into it, a dull ache in her shoulder. The Gard. People were there, clamoring, the demon towers lighting up with a bloody glow- cries filled the air, and Clary was on her feet. She pushed through the crowd, blind, shoving, as hands grabbed her. "Clary," someone was saying, and that someone was Simon. "Clary. Clary-"

"Let _go_!" Clary yelled, and she had a minute to register Simon's look of shock before she had broken free of his arms and was running again. Panic was blinding her. She had to get to Jace, she had to get to Jace-

The people cleared and she saw him.

He was lying on the marble floor, his eyes closed, his face calm, as though he could be asleep. Blood shone red in his golden hair. Clary looked at him. Just stared. This couldn't be Jace. Jace was proud and strong and… _alive._

And somehow she was on her knees at his side. She grabbed his shirt and shook him. Tears were filling her eyes, pressing hotly at her eyelids. "Jace. Jace, you are not dead. Wake up right now." Her voice was astonishingly steady. "Jace. _Wake up and see me. Wake up._ "

His eyelids fluttered and he groaned, low and soft in his throat, and he opened his eyes.

Clary nearly fell on him in relief. She touched his cheek, forcing herself to be steady and calm. "You're alive," she told him. "You're going to _stay alive._ " Maybe if she put enough force into her words, then it would become true. Maybe-

Jace smiled, and Clary felt her heart shatter. "We both know that isn't true," Jace whispered.

"Shut _up._ " Clary pulled him towards her until their noses were nearly touching. Jace's eyelashes fluttered and she could feel the movement against her cheeks. Her face was wet. She was crying. "You're going to live. You're going to live, Jace. You're going to."

"Clary." It was so soft that Clary had to strain to hear Jace, even at this proximity. "Please- go. I don't- want- you to see- me like this." His chest was rising and falling quickly, shallowly, and his face was ashen.

"You can't die." Clary shook him, hard. She was sobbing, weeping, the tears hot on her cheeks, burning her. "Do you hear me? _You can't die, Jace._ Dying wasn't part of the plan." She could feel her voice rising. "You can't die! Hold on. BROTHER ENOCH!" She nearly screamed it. "You have to help him, you have to do something, you can't just let him die-" But she didn't even know if the Silent Brothers were there, everyone had disappeared and it was down to her and Jace.

 _Clarissa._ The voice of a Silent Brother echoed in Clary's head. Brother Enoch was standing behind her, head bowed, in parchment robes. _There is nothing we can do. We have tried-_

"Then TRY HARDER!" Clary screamed- her throat was raw and her scream broke off.

And Isabelle and Alec and Simon were there, kneeling with him, surrounding Jace, locking around him. Isabelle was crying and Alec looked empty and blank and shocked, and Simon was there with his face white. But they weren't really there, not to Clary- it was her and Jace, her and Jace.

She leaned close to him and closed her eyes. Jace reached up, tangling his fingers in her hair, and kissed her softly. He tasted like blood and Jace.

Clary leaned desperately into the kiss. He had to hold on. He had to-

Jace gasped and his eyes flew open- Clary jerked back. "What's wrong? What-"  
"Clary-" Jace's eyes were wide, his chest heaving for breath. He fumbled for her hand, his fingers shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He didn't die like Clary thought that he would. His face slid, like the life was just sliding out of him, his body going limp.

 _He's not dead. He's not dead._

But he was, and Jace was dead, and the world was shattering.

Clary buried her head in his chest. "I'll stay with you," she whispered to him. "I'll stay with you to the end of time."


End file.
